Hobel's 5x5 Lifting Journal

[HOBEL]

yeah its the weekend!!!! aND RAIN ALL DAY SATURDAY IN LONGISLAND NY!!!

so here's how today went:

base calories 2036 my calories for today 2295

stretched and warmup 15 minutes---the bar was friggin cold in the garage.

routine

squats 5x5------3x80lbs and 2x85lbs

upright rows 3x5---------60lbs

1 arm barbell lever press ea side 5x5------------55lbs-- sort of like t bar rows(load one end of barbell the other in a towel) but instead of pullin your using a low angle and push with 1 arm then the next. i was power pushing them. feet stance staggered.

BP 1x2@70lbs---i guess i exhausted the push w previous exercise.

DL 3X5----------70LBS---EASY.OVERHAND GRIP. I ALSO ALTERNATE btwn underhand grip too.


body is very happy at this level--cozy comfy. i might do 1 week of high stress and then revert to adding 5 lbs to these numbers.

what i had in mind are the basics and a few supporting moves at balls to the wall 1-3 reps. tomorrow or sunday might be best. and im definately wearing my belt.

im exploring other sites that have out of ordinary routines or exercises i can incorporate into my conditioning. i found www.rosstaining.com that has some cool stuff as well as sledge workouts and alot of amazing barbell stuff.its all meant to be low tech- challenge your mind as well as the body.

[HOBEL]

Today i beat the shit out of my body and i loved it.

First off i have one of those total gyms that has a pulley and rope for doing leg exercises. i fitted that 1 pulley on a carriage bolt to a cross beam in my garage. i attached 1 end to a burlap sack filled with weights and the other to a dumbell handle. Dude i was pulling and pulling.

i have this sturdy rubber maid tub/bin that we use for paper recycling- on one end i made a durable handle and on the other sidei poked thru side and with a skinny towl tied with zip twists.

i had papers in it so i added 100LBS of weights and began pushing down my driveway (black top) i really had to dig in and get momentum. the driveway is like 25 feet. at the end, i'd grap the towel and facing it -pulled backwards. repeat 10x ea

i tell you my thighs and calfs are so sore and my shoulders and upper back too. i finshed off with dumbell snatch and press 30lbs 10x ea side as fast as i could manage.

i went on you tube and saw all the crazy ideas at the the strengthshop by matt wichlinski. i'm definately keeping the SL 5x5 core stuff for monday weds fri and 1 day on weekends for conditioning offbeat stuff.

i ate like a motha fucking homeless person at dinner. its 7:27 or so and i'm still hungry. PBand J AND A SHAKE.

I HAD A physical last week with my pcp family general hocus pocus bru ha ha- prior to that i had a bone density test done cause as a post liver transplant patient i hear alot of shit in chat rooms and support groups that as the yrs go by you'll need every freakin dr under the sun. i heard that the metabolytes in the anti rejection drugs we transplants take cause bone density issues and teeth issues after a few yrs. so i had 1 done and im osteo penia. person my age and being white and weight i should be atleast +.8 and i'm -1.9 and osteoperosis is -2.5 and lower. so i was to add 1200 mg calcium with vit d. so in reading further we get calcium 3 ways ingest or sun/ liver makes a portion and kidneys make the rest. so 4 yrs ago by the time i got my new liver i looked like something from a concentration camp or a dawn of the dead film. i was so emaciated i was 88 lbs. so i'm wondering maybe 4.5 yrs later im on the mend? i will have a new bone density test done by summer. ive been drinking 100% milk last week and half-stomach looks like sticken out again..

early appt so i cant work out til evening.

[HOBEL]

Mon eve and Tues mid morning

stretched and body squated 40x

and shoulder dislocations 40x

SQUAT PARTY!!!! wtf? yes i went a lil overboard on squats

1x5 65lbs
1x5 75lbs
1x5 85lbs
1x5 95lbs----starting wearing belt
1x5 105lbs
1x5 115lbs-----these were hard-had no bounce left at the bottom so coming to a stand position was brute force.

BP 1x5---65lbs
1x5---70lbs
1x5---75lbs

DL 1x5---85lbs
1x5---95lbs----started wearing belt
1x5---105lbs
1x5---115lbs

[HOBEL]

ok im back in the triple digits w/ the 2 lifts that matter most---squats and DL


WARM UP- elliptical 3 minutes hard pace

trunk twists and bends with 10lb plate

25x body squats to loosen up


the routine

squats 5x5-----100/105x4- as i write this, i am body tired like i just started lifting. i knew i was cheatin my body under 100lbs-by set 2 it becomes a challenge get that lil voice that says ur tired quit its ok and even though im hearing it get louder after ea rep i did it.
i did find the very bottom but the bounce needs..more sling to it. its grunt work at its finest but 2-3 weeks from now my body will adapt and hitting that bottom and bouncing right up with alot less effort will be worth it.


DL 5X5--------105LBS NO ISSUES i noticed i was walking funny afterwards-legs were shaking. lol


20 oz glass of moo.

1 ended barbell lever pushes-------55lbs 25x ea side----i do it with a wide staggered stance like i was haulin off to cold cock someone and you throw a punch(push the barbell from your chest straight out---pow! your hips and core are engaged as well. 25 fast boom boom boom and then left side.

i'm spent. still weigh 140 but chest and shoulders are wider- getting spoofed on at work. hey workin out? or hey man look out hobels ripped he'll f u up..... such is male bonding...

gotta go to a tire place and home depot to get sledge. i'm gonna make a bulgarian weight bag. looked in mirror before i still have chicken legs but the thighs are now concave () and when u tighten i get the v over the knee. cool. arms sustaining that puffy look all day i guess they grew... gettin there i guess im a fined tuned 1.4 engine not exacly hemi under my hood yet but definately by spring 6 cylinder fuel injected . so much for my car metaphor. lol.

its not enough to be strong i wanna look the part atleast halfway. i keep tellin myself and using mental imagery -i am growing i am growing.

[HOBEL]

i'm still trying to shake things up. i am adding things that are conditional and functional strength to my routine. and still work in the SL or rippetoe essentials.


My warm up:

the bear complex at 45 lbs. i completed the whole circuit 5x5.
took 10 minutes and a 20 oz glass of milk-was breathing hard -heart beating out of my chest-dont like it-i'd rather push and strain hard and slow.

squats 3x5 @100lbs
ohp 3x5 @55 lbs
upright rows 1x10 @45lbs

DB 2x5 ea side sumo squat to a powr cln then drop to shoulder then press up and lock : repeat.-------35lbs db---got me winded as well.

my sleep is being off-i'm dreaming dumb bullshit- during these dreams i'm tensing my legs and giving myself charlie horses-also having arm pain here and there dull aching in forearms. i think maybe im getting compulsive with working out almost obsessed. if im the computer im checking out bizzare sites on extreme conditioning or youtube. i find myself itching to workout all the time even multiple times per day especially on weekends----i know im heading for burnout city or at worst a back injury.

and at the same time my body is high... whatever body chemistry is going on -----ahhhhhhh huuuuuuummmmm my body is like a generator with that low frequency huuuuummmmmmmm hummmmmmmmmm.

im gonna try to stop til thursday give myself a full 48 hrs rest- maybe even til fri.


filling my calorie intake and a little bit more maybe 250-500 over ex i need 2036 i do 2200-2500 on avg daily. i think my neck is bigger?


it was an intense 45 minutes

[HOBEL]

warm up:

the bear complex 5x at 35lbs and 5x at 45lbs

squats 3x5--------------105lbs

DL 3X5-------------------105/110/115 LBS

seemed very heavy today.

[HOBEL]

DUDES AND DUDETTES-

I started SL in mid july and at the 3 mos mark things are starting to get good!!! i was squating btwn 65-85lbs for the first 60 days or so and now im 20-25 lbs away from squating BW. and DL overhanded only is at bw but i train at 115-120.

today i squatted 120 lbs 1x5- it wasnt shit squats these were deep and i had to grunt/growl push like hell. my mind is telling me slow down thats alot of weight etc... i'm gonna turn that lil fucker off in my head cause he lies, he's a pussy.

this whole past week my leg muscles are sore -hams are like hard tire treads-arch of feet is lil tender.

my ohp and bp well that a different story- its a strain for me my left arm from a stroke at birth is 30-35lbs weaker then right arm so my gains on pushing are somewhat harder. on both i am stuck btwn the 65-80 lbs level and the harder i push i end up going backwards.

i find i am comfortable at ohp 55-65 and bp at 70-75- i think instead of increasing weight i'll back off 10-15% and increase reps to like 5x8 because i read somewhere that ppl can have 2 types of twitch muscles going on-pushing for me has never been a strength thing its endurance like bp 65 lbs 20x in a single shot--go up 10-15lbs and i hit 3 reps 2 reps and die with it on my chest- i know its fucked up.

i am almost 145 lbs and at 5'4 height. my routine is somewhat varied sometimes SL or rippetoe or korte or peary radar. and then 1 day on weekend i do the underground stuff or functional strength stuff.


today----warm up

25lb plate swings-2 hands-from btwn legs up over head back down----20x
50lbs of chains inside a nylon duffle bag-pick up from ground over 1 shoulder-back down then up to other shoulder 2x10

bear complex 45lbs 5x circuit

5-6 minute rest and glass of milk 20 oz

my routine---with a belt


squats 5x5-----------------------------105/110/115/115/120*PR BABY!!!

bp- was fucked tried doing 90lbs i choked

2x3 at 70lbs--found it hard


towel t bar rows 3x10----------------70lbs

1ended barbell lever push 2 hands 3x10----------80lbs

1ended barbell lever push single hand 45lbs 2x5--ea side

DL 3X5------115LBS

[HOBEL]

10/19/2009-11-20-2009 4 weeks
phase1 i used 60% of my max's

squat 120(+25 Add) i used 85lbs
BP 90 (+10 add) i used 60 lbs
DL 140 (+15 add) i used 95 lbs

Squat 7 sets of 5 reps--------85pounds--was actually lite n ez - i'll increase by 1 set and reps by 1on weds
BP 5 sets of 8 reps--------60 pounds- ill try 50 reps total on weds
DL 7 sets of 5 reps---increase by 1 rep per set for weds

[HOBEL]

warm up-45lbs bear complex 3x5


week1 day 2 korte 3x3...ahhhhhhh volume...zzzzzzzzzzz

squat 6x8---------85/85/85/90/90/90 lbs----wore da belt

bp 8x6----------60 lbs-@ halfway point i started messing with grip- reg- wide- narrow-last set ended on narrow and was a real burn bitch- my arms were on fire

dl 8x6----------100 lbs--all over hand grip baby! -wore da belt


whole work out w/ rest took 1hr 15 min and 2 cups milk 20 oz.....zzzzzzzzzzz im tiredzzzzzz

what do you think? enough volume...48 reps or maybe do more? i figure i'll leave it at 8x6 or 6x8 and go up 5 lbs for fri......ug!

[HOBEL]

my new 1x maxes for the lifts on the korte routine

squats 145lbsx95%= 137.75 round down 135
bp 102lbsx95%=96.90 round down 95
dl 155lbsx 95%= 147.25 round up 150

i should be able to lift 95% of the above maxes during phase 2

my current: squats 120 bp 90 dl 140

[HOBEL]

ok i'll admit it. Korte 3x3 kicked my ass today. Secretly i was dreading today as i knew my body was still not recovered from weds.


warm up 3x5 the bear @35lbs- just enough to get the blood flowing

25 reps of body weight squats to grease the hips.


phase 1 end of week 1. zzz


squats 6x6------------------- 90lbs
today was sloppy-right from start my legs were bitching and moaning. i actually was gonna scrap today. my best lifts on this were sets 5 and 6.

BP 8X6----------------60lbs AND LAST 5 reps were 65lbs
suprisingly no all out effort needed- i still had gas in the tank. tried to retain almost 90-95% best form from starting strength. i think what saved me on this was the grip stayed just past shoulder width. weds workout i messed with narrow -wide and regular.

DL 3X6------------------100LBS

i had 6x6 planned. damn. at the end of third set i had a knot in my right flank so to be prudent and live to lift another day, i stopped.
first 2 sets i flew thru- maybe did stay rigid enough-body was probably in a freakin hurry to be done.

well the knot in my right flank is gone, im tired. atleast i have 2 days off-yeah weekend!!!

next weeks weights are as follows @65%

squat 95lbs
bp 65lbs
DL 100----I WAS ALREADY AT 65% SINCE WEDS.


weighed myself: 148lbs-gained 8 lbs since beginning of oct?

[HOBEL]

KORTE 3X3-----------phase 1 week 2 day 1 monday

squats 6x6------------95lbs

BP 8x6-----------------65lbs- after the 5th set the reps came in piece meal. ex: 4 reps then another 3, rest, then eek out the remaining---left front shoulder head really feeling the burn.


DL 6x6------------100lbs-breathing hard after that-can feel my heart pounding


glad i had 2 days off from previous week. this week i'm at 65% 1 rep max the BP was noticeably harder on arms and shoulders. i'm already dreading weeks 3 and 4 for BP. hopefully the shoulders hang tough.

[HOBEL]

warmup 3x5 @40lbs the bear complex

body weight squats 25x

korte 3x3 phase1 week2 day 2


squats 6x6------------------------95lbs---deep and correct no issues


bp 6x6----------65lbs--left shoulder and forearm twinged-i wanted to do 8x6 but this is all i could do without wrecking my shoulder

dl 4x10--------------100lbs- did at a fast pace-heart pounding when i was done breathing hard--feel alive

[NotNowChief]

On Korte now huh, lifting heavy. I pity you, any program designed by germans must be gruelling.

have you ever done much dumbell/unilateral work to try and get that left side up to speed?

[HOBEL]

yeah ive done dumbell work and my left too far gone.-its getting stronger now but to do dumbell with my left hand /arm id be using 5-10 lbs where my right is now 30-35lbs. i had a stroke as an infant due to heavy stress of operations 18 total before age 2. its a muscle cordination problem. my arms are same size for the most part -the right has sharper definition but the hands are 2 different sizes if i hold them up. i always wanted to play guitar but the left hand fingers lacked the ability to properly fret a guitar and i tried using a lefty guitar and strum with left in sync was hard so i could grap so i became a drummer!!!

overall the barbell is helping. i know that the right takes on the supportive role for the left to get the job done. thats why i have a longer time to gain on push movements like bp or ohp.

as for the korte 3x3 i'm in the volume phase and the pounds arent that unbearable. i'm forcing myself to not actually raise weights too soon. i started out at 60% and will go to 65-70-and 75% of 1 rep max+add on pounds as per the program. then phase 2 you bring down volume and stay at 65-70% 1 rep max and on ea day perform a single lift like dlat 85-95% and the 2 others remain ez and light.
i decided to do this as a way to address my lagging bp and ohp.

so far the only thing killing me is my shoulder and a little elbow forearm twinge. i lift today.